A Romance From a Tragedy
by Alauralen
Summary: After tragedy strikes an American woman, she leaves for England to find her sister’s killer. She meets Remus Lupin, who has just lost James and Lily Potter, and believes that Sirius betrayed them. Will they be able to heal together?
1. Prologue

**Summary:** After tragedy strikes an American woman, she leaves for England to find her sister's killer. She meets Remus Lupin, who has just lost James and Lily Potter, and believes that Sirius betrayed them. Will they be able to heal together?

**Rating:** M

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters within the books, J.K. Rowling does. I own all characters you do not recognize. I am not making any money for writing this, just a bit of enjoyment.

**Author's Note:** This is a rewrite of my story "Moony Gets More Than He Bargains For." This story is also up for an award in round six of the a target"blank" href" http/multifaceted. " u i Multifaceted Awards /i /u /a in the category of Identity! If you would like to vote for this story, voting begins on Wednesday, July 5th!

**Beta:** Cherrypit8 and Svet-Thank you so much!

_**A Romance From A Tragedy**_

_**Prologue**_

Remus Lupin and Sirius Black sat in a smoky corner of a Muggle bar. Anyone who noticed the two men did a double take. They were twins in the eyes of all, due to a Polyjuice potion.

"Have you spoken to James or Lily since they went into hiding? How is little Harry doing?" Remus asked his friend, before taking a sip of his mead.

Sirius sighed before answering him. "No, I am supposed to be lying low, too. It would not do for anyone to see me lurking about. Not even looking like you."

They sat contemplating their friends James and Lily Potter. They had been forced into hiding after finding out that Voldemort had marked them for death. It had been two days since Lily and James had performed a complicated spell, the Fidelius Charm, to hide their whereabouts. Sirius was the only person in the world who knew where they were hiding.

"Why are you staying in this Muggle pub instead of the Leaky Cauldron?" Sirius asked, looking curiously around the establishment.

"Dumbledore has me looking into a few things for him. He figured this pub was out of Voldemort's radar. Besides, it was more in my price range," Remus admitted, coloring a bit.

Sirius gave his friend a sidelong glance, wondering if Remus was the spy in their midst. His financial situation may have driven him into Voldemort's fold. Didn't he know that his friends would have helped him? Sirius shook his head. He did not know for sure who the spy was, and Remus was innocent in Sirius' eyes until there was tangible, irrefutable proof of his guilt. Of course, that did not mean that Sirius would volunteer the information about the abrupt change in the Potters' Secret Keeper.

"Your potion should be wearing off soon. Perhaps you should return home?" Remus asked, looking at his watch. It was a gift from James and Lily for his last birthday. He knew that his friends all worried about him. Since leaving school, Remus had found it increasingly difficult to hold down a job. Not because he wasn't an eager, intelligent young man, but because he was a werewolf. Prejudices ran high against his kind. As soon as his employers put two and two together, figuring out what he was, Remus was promptly fired.

"You're right," Sirius said with a sigh. "I will not be able to be reached for some time, but if you need anything, contact Dumbledore. He will know how to get in touch with me."

"I am sure that I will be just fine," Remus replied, forcing a jovial smile. "But thank you. You had better get going before we have to i Obliviate /i everyone in the bar."

Remus watched his double leave, wondering how their carefree lives at Hogwarts had changed so dramatically with adulthood.

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Victoria Watts Apparated with a small _pop_ inside the alley next to her apartment complex absolutely exhausted. Spending a month worrying in a hospital would do that to you, she mused.

She thought about her best friend, Caitlin O'Connor, who had been tortured and almost killed by Death Eaters. Caitlin was just beginning to recover from her ordeal, and this had been the first night that Victoria had left her to spend the night at home.

Victoria entered her apartment building, taking the elevator to her third floor apartment. She moved by memory, her mind deep in thought. A Death Eater attack in America! Who would ever have thought that the situation with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named would ever trouble those on these shores?

Before she knew it, Victoria was standing in front of the door to her apartment. Victoria looked up and down the hall to make sure she was alone before drawing her wand to unward her door. She quickly put it away after tapping the locks to unlock the door. Once she was inside, Victoria quickly relocked the door and brought back up the wards.

Turning away from the door, Victoria tried to decide what she wanted to do first: food, sleep, or a nice, hot bath. She decided on a nice, hot bath to soothe her aching muscles and began to walk across her living room in the direction of the bathroom.

Just as Victoria was about to enter the bathroom, a knock sounded at her door. Dread began to creep through her as she retraced her steps. Had something happened to Caitlin? She had only just left her!

"Who is it?" Victoria called out as she reached the door.

"Victoria, it is Evan Donovan. We looked for you first at Merlin's Medical, but the Healers said you had gone home. I really need to talk to you about Cassie," said the familiar voice of her Head of Department through the door.

Dread turned instantly into fear and despair. Cassandra, usually called Cassie, was her younger sister and an Auror. She had gone to England with a handful of others to assist with the You-Know-Who situation.

Victoria lowered the wards and unlocked the door as fast as she could, throwing it open. Evan stood in the hallway with a young blonde woman. Both looked extremely pale and Victoria's eyes filled with tears as she gestured for them to come in.

"Please come in and have a seat. Can I get either of you something to drink?" Victoria asked numbly, trying to forestall the inevitable.

Evan and the woman looked at each other before Evan stepped toward Victoria. He put his arm around her shoulders and steered her toward the couch. Once she was seated, Evan sat down next to her.

"Victoria, this is Anastasia Monroe. She is an Auror from England," Evan said gently.

"Nice to meet you," Victoria murmured, looking fearfully at Anastasia. "Is Cassie okay?"

"I wish I was here under better circumstances, Miss Watts. I am sorry to inform you that the residence of your sister, Auror Cassandra Watts, was attacked this evening. Your sister was killed by Death Eaters. The Dark Mark was set over her home," Anastasia said, looking mournfully at Victoria. This was the worst part of her job, a part that had been required of her quite frequently lately.

"No, not Cassie! You have to be wrong! It had to be someone else!" Victoria sobbed out hysterically, looking to her department head and friend in desperation.

"I am so sorry, Victoria. First what happened with Caitlin and now this. I can't even imagine…I have already put in an extended leave, with pay, so that you can go to England," Evan said sorrowfully, gathering the small woman into a tight embrace as she cried hopelessly.

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A few days after his meeting with Sirius, Remus was awakened by a loud knocking on the door to his hotel room. Remus got up, turned on the lamp beside his bed, threw on a robe, and walked to the door.

"Who is it?" Remus asked groggily.

"Albus Dumbledore. Remus, I need to talk to you," answered an anxious sounding voice.

Remus quickly opened the door to admit his former headmaster. Dumbledore looked pale and shaken, more so than Remus had ever seen him.

"What has happened?" Remus asked, concerned.

"I think you had better have a seat," Dumbledore told him, walking over to the small table and chairs in the far corner of Remus' room. Dumbledore took a seat and conjured a bottle of Firewhiskey and two glasses.

Remus took a seat across from Dumbledore, a sense of foreboding coming over him. He took the glass that Dumbledore offered him and waited while the headmaster took a long drink from his own.

"I wanted to be the one to break the news to you, Remus. I didn't want you to find out in the papers in the morning," Dumbledore said quietly, tears in his blue eyes. "We have found out who the spy is. It is Sirius, Remus. He betrayed James and Lily. Voldemort went to their house tonight and killed them. I am so sorry, Remus."

It felt as though the floor had dropped out from under him. Everything suddenly seemed very surreal, as though he were still sleeping and this was all just some bad dream. He just couldn't get his head around it.

"What about Harry? Did he get Harry too?" Remus asked, his voice breaking.

"No. He tried, but something happened. I am not sure exactly what it was, but Voldemort's power seems to have been destroyed. He has fled and the Aurors have not been able to find him. Sirius was the Potters' Secret Keeper, as you know. He is now being hunted as well. If he comes to you, you must contact the Aurors immediately," Dumbledore said gravely, as tears began to pour from Remus' eyes.

"I just saw him a few days ago. I had no idea he was…," Remus said before downing the glass of whiskey in one swallow. "What's going to happen to Harry now?" Remus asked apprehensively

"I will be leaving shortly to bring him to Petunia Dursley, Lily's sister. Petunia and her husband, Vernon, have a son about Harry's age, I believe. It is my hope that the Dursleys will raise Harry as their own child, as a brother to their own son," said Dumbledore gravely.

Remus, who had been taking a drink of his Firewhiskey, choked at this bit of unexpected news. "Professor, I do **not** think that that is a good idea," he sputtered. "Lily told me about her sister. Petunia refuses to acknowledge that she even _has_ a sister! She hates -- hated -- Lily because she was a witch! Surely she won't take Harry in!"

"I am well aware of Petunia Dursley's prejudice, Remus," Dumbledore said contemplatively. "However, the Dursleys are the only family Harry has left. I am fairly certain that I can make Petunia see the wisdom in burying old grudges."

"I understand they are the last of Harry's family, but, undoubtedly, there are many wizarding families who would gladly take him in. If I had better resources, I would take care of him myself. Please, can't you find a magical family to take him?" Remus begged.

Dumbledore looked at Remus sympathetically. "Remus, Harry has defeated Voldemort at only one year of age. He is going to be famous. I am sure that almost every wizarding family in the world would gladly welcome him in and raise him with every luxury he could ever dream of," Dumbledore said. "But what kind of person do you think he would become after being waited on hand and foot, catered to, and all but worshipped? Do you really think that he would become the child he would have been if Lily and James had not lost their lives? Would all of that really be in Harry's best interest?"

Remus stared at Dumbledore for a few moments, trying very hard to find flaw in the older man's logic. Unfortunately, he understood exactly what Dumbledore was saying. He slumped back into his chair in defeat. Dumbledore was right.

"Do you think that these relatives of his will allow us to visit him?" asked Remus, his voice thick with emotion.

"Ah, that I do not know, Remus," Dumbledore said with a sigh. He looked out of the window for a moment, before standing up. "I am afraid that I must take my leave. I am requesting that you remain here. Until the Death Eaters are rounded up, you may be a target. They are going to want to know what happened to their Lord. Because of your friendship with the parents of the child who defeated Voldemort, they may think that you have answers as to how it happened. I will contact you when I know more."

Remus nodded mutely. Dumbledore sighed again and placed a comforting hand on Remus' shoulder before letting himself out.

Remus got up and locked the door, warding it mechanically. Blindly making his way to his bed, he threw himself across it on his back, and stared up at the ceiling. He had no idea how long he laid there; time seemed to have no meaning. It could have been ten minutes or ten hours, and he would never have known the difference. He didn't see the ceiling above him; all the lycanthrope saw were events of the past year as he tried to figure out when Sirius had turned traitor.

Remus was startled out of his daze by a tapping on the window pane. Sitting up slowly, the werewolf saw an owl perched on the window sill. He was startled to see that morning had already come. He got up, opened the window, and let the bird in. It flew into the room and landed on the back of the chair Dumbledore had occupied some hours before. Remus took the _Daily Prophet_ from the owl and then paid it. The owl ruffled its feathers and then flew back out the window.

Remus opened the newspaper apprehensively. The headline blared up at him.

**You-Know-Who Defeated**

_Reports are sketchy, but it appears as though He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named attacked Godric's Hollow last night. A Ministry insider has hinted that the Aurors believe You-Know-Who met his downfall at the hands of the small child named Harry Potter. The bodies of his parents, Lily and James Potter, were found in the wreckage of their home…_

Remus balled up the paper and threw it across the room in a sudden onslaught of anger. _'How could Sirius have done this?'_ his mind screamed.

Remus quickly changed his clothes and then grabbed his keys and wand, heading out the door and down to the pub. He really needed a drink.

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Two days after Cassie's murder, something both terrible and wonderful happened. Lily and James Potter were both killed by You-Know-Who. That was the terrible thing. But, as happens from time to time, some good had come from the horrible tragedy. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was defeated by their son, Harry, who was only one year old. Word had traveled like a wildfire throughout the magical world. No one had a clear idea how or why it was possible for such a small child to defeat someone who had killed so many. The fear and suspicion in which the magical community had lived for so long was dispelled. In every country around the world, witches and wizards celebrated the downfall of the Dark Lord even as they struggled to grasp how it had happened.

The uproar Victoria stepped into the morning after was incredible. Reporters from every magical newspaper and magazine, from the legitimate to the tabloids, were crawling all over the British Ministry of Magic. Aurors were clearly stationed throughout the crowd, trying to bring some kind of order to the chaos that reigned.

Victoria caught sight of Anastasia as she watched the media circus. Victoria had Flooed in from the American Ministry. Things were not much calmer there. When a spokeswitch told the crowd that the American Minister was in contact with the English Minister, but still did not have a clear picture of what happened, there was a great exodus to the fireplaces lining the walls to get to England. Victoria had been lead through the concourse by an Auror. He had been a friend of Cassie's and had helped to retrieve Caitlin when she was captured. He wished Victoria luck in finding the bastards that had cut Cassie's life short.

Victoria gestured to get Anastasia's attention as she fought her way through the masses of loud, excited people. Anastasia caught sight of her and quickly moved to meet her.

"Good morning, Miss Watts. Sorry about the chaos, but things like this don't happen every day," Anastasia shouted to Victoria.

A reporter heard what the young Auror had said and immediately asked her a volley of questions. "What exactly happened? Are the rumors true? Has You-Know-Who truly been defeated?"

"Bugger off! The Minister will be making an announcement shortly," Anastasia replied irritably. "Come on, I'll take you upstairs; this lot isn't allowed past this level. We've had a hell of a time keeping them here, I'll tell you!"

Victoria nodded and stayed as close to Anastasia as possible. Once they were sequestered inside the golden lift, Victoria let out a relieved sigh.

"Has You-Know-Who really been killed?" Victoria asked with hopeful curiosity.

"As far as we can tell," Anastasia replied. "It is the oddest thing, after all the evil he has done, a baby seems to have broken him. 'Course, we have yet to find his body."

"How is that even possible?" asked Victoria with shock.

"Haven't got a clue," Anastasia replied even though she knew the question had been a rhetorical one. "Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, must have some kind of theory, though. He has been locked up with the Minister for hours."

The lift stopped on the floor that which housed the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Though there were no reporters here, there was certainly a lot of commotion as people tried to make sense of what had happened.

A handsome, middle-aged black man came hurrying up to Anastasia. "Have you heard about Sirius Black?"

The two women looked at each other bewildered. Victoria shook her head no and Anastasia replied, "No, Mitchell, what happened? This is Cassie's sister, by the way, Victoria Watts."

"Pleased to meet you, Miss Watts. My name is Mitchell Johnson. I am so sorry about your sister. She was a very kind person and a terrific Auror," Mitchell said mournfully.

"Thank you very much," Victoria said as her throat tried to constrict and her eyes burned. "Just call me Victoria, please."

Mitchell smiled softly at her before remembering what he had been trying to tell them. "Sirius Black was the Potters' Secret-Keeper! He was the one who told You-Know-Who where they were hiding. Dumbledore has had us out all day looking for him. They found him. He killed one of the Potters' friends, Peter Pettigrew, as well as a whole bunch of Muggles. The Aurors that were called to the scene are bringing them in now. I would hate to work in the Department of Magical Catastrophes today!"

Victoria grabbed Anastasia's arm in a tight grip. "Do you think he knows who killed Cassie?"

"I don't know, dear. We will question him thoroughly, you can be sure of that," Anastasia said, patting her shoulder comfortingly.

"Perhaps you should check into your room until this dies down a bit. Forgive me for saying this, but you look dead on your feet," Mitchell said gently, noting the dark circles under her red-rimmed eyes and her extremely pale face. "We have a room set up for you in a local Muggle pub. We would like to keep you as safe as we can, so Aurors will be posted there at all times."

Victoria's first instinct was to argue. However, it seemed a moot point to stay when clearly no one knew a damn thing for sure.

"Okay. I am kind of tired," Victoria conceded.

"Your things have already been sent up to the room for you," Mitchell said.

"We have you listed under an alias, Katerina Jackson. The pub is small, and the owner is expecting you," Anastasia informed her. "Come on, I'll take you there."

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Remus Lupin sat at the bar of the Muggle pub in which he was staying. After having read the _Daily Prophet_ this morning, he was sure that witches and wizards everywhere were celebrating, but he could not bring himself to do it along with them. While he was relieved that Voldemort had fallen, the pain of losing two people he loved was unbearable. The fact that it had been Sirius who betrayed the very people he said were his friends only made the pain worse, like salt in an open wound.

Remus' grief-ridden thoughts were interrupted by the pub door opening. Blinding sunlight streamed into the dim, smoky bar, hurting his sensitive eyes. The door closed, and Remus blinked until the spots faded from his vision. Two Muggle women were approaching the bar. The pub owner walked to the end of the bar to meet them. One was tall with short blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes. However, it was the other woman who captured his attention. She was of average height with a small, delicate build. Her hair was pulled into a sloppy ponytail that fell down her back to her waist in shining soft brown curls. Her eyes were a gray colour, made more noticeable by a pale face and dark circles under her eyes. She appeared to have been crying recently.

As the two women arrived at the bar, the owner, a short, bald, heavy-set man named Wesley, greeted them.

"Good afternoon, Miss Monroe. This must be your friend from America," Wesley said, good-naturedly. "My name is Wesley Franks. I own the pub and the inn upstairs."

"Katerina Jackson," Victoria replied, shaking Wesley's hand. She smirked and added, "Call me Kat."

The blonde woman, Miss Monroe, gave Kat a side-long glance as Wesley said, "I am sorry to hear about your sister. Terrible thing. Your room is ready for you, and your luggage has already been put in for you."

Kat must have felt Remus' stare, for she turned and looked at him. Remus forced a smile, embarrassed for being caught staring. She gave him a strained smile in return, tears shining in her eyes as she thanked Wesley and took the room key he offered her.

"Come on, honey, I'll make sure you get settled before I go," Anastasia said, distracting Kat from the man sitting at the bar. As handsome as he was, he looked as bad as she felt. She wondered what had happened to him to make him look so forlorn.

"Thank you, Anastasia," Kat said, turning to follow the Auror around the bar and up the stairs. She looked back at the young man. He was still watching her. Perhaps she would come back down and talk to him once Anastasia left. She really did not want to be alone, and she could use a drink.


	2. Introductions

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters within the books; J.K. Rowling owns them. I own all characters you do not recognize. I am not making any money for writing this. I am just earning a bit of enjoyment.

**Betas:** Special thanks to Cherrypit8 and Phoenix for all their hard work and to JenKM1216 for helping me out so much with this chapter! You ladies are just too good to me!

**A/N:** This story has been nominated for a Multifaceted Award in round six in the category of Identity! Voting starts on Wednesday, July 5th if you would like to vote for it!

**_Chapter 2-Introductions_**

"I think you should come up with a glamour to use while at the Ministry," Anastasia told Victoria once they had gotten to the room. Anastasia surreptitiously scrutinized Victoria as she spoke, wondering how long it had been since the woman had eaten or slept.

"What's the point?" Victoria asked wearily. "People have already seen me at the Ministry as myself." She couldn't help but wish the Auror would leave already. Victoria had the sudden urge to be left alone. Anastasia had been wonderful, but the mourning woman just didn't want to be bothered by company right now.

"The point is that the Ministry was in an uproar today. No one will remember you. However, if you keep coming and going as yourself, someone may notice you. They could follow you back here, and we haven't found all the Death Eaters yet. You can bet that they are just as confused as we are right now, maybe more so.

"Your sister was an Auror, and you are an Unspeakable. They may think that you know something about what happened to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named," Anastasia said coercively. "Please, just think about it, and try to get some rest. I will be back as soon as I know anything."

"I'll think about it," Victoria conceded. "Thank you for everything."

"Not a problem," Anastasia replied, moving toward the door. "Lock and ward this behind me."

"I will," Victoria acknowledged, relieved that Anastasia was leaving.

Victoria, true to her word, locked and warded the door as soon as the young Auror left. Tossing her wand on the bedside table, she laid down on top of the comforter. Her mind wandered to Caitlin, and her eyes burned with tears as her vision blurred. It had been so horrible to tell her best friend that Cassie had been killed.

Caitlin had not been well enough to leave the hospital to accompany Victoria to England. She had wanted to, but was still too weak to be released. Victoria couldn't help but be a bit resentful and angry that she had to deal with her sister's death alone. She didn't want to feel that way because it wasn't her friend's fault that she had been attacked, but Victoria just could not seem to help it.

The silence and loneliness of the room pressed in upon her. Suddenly, the witch couldn't stand to be left alone and, after blowing her nose and washing her face, Victoria left the room for the pub.

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Remus downed his shot of whiskey and ordered another as his thoughts chased each other. He thought about his days as a Marauder at Hogwarts. His friends had been there for him as no one else--excluding his parents of course--had ever been. Still, his friends had never been perfect. Perhaps he should have known that Sirius was capable of this. He remembered how James and Sirius had humiliated Snape by hexing him until he was unrecognizable. It had been in retaliation for Snape casting a hex that had caused both of their toenails to grow quickly and painfully during the end of term feast. Not that they had _seen_ Snape cast the spell; Sirius and James just _assumed_ that he had done it.

He reminisced about the day Harry was born. James and Lily had been so happy, and there had been tears in Sirius' eyes as he told them that he would be honored to be Harry's godfather. Had that all been just a lie? Just a way to get even further into their good graces? Remus swallowed another shot at this thought, feeling the liquid burn down his throat.

He was beginning to get very drunk, but it did not help to dull the pain in the way that he had hoped. In fact, the alcohol actually seemed to be making everything worse. Peering blearily around the room, he saw a distraction coming down the stairs in the form of the woman he had noticed earlier.

Remus watched her hesitate before making her way across the room to sit at the bar a few seats away from him. He watched the owner approach her with a kind, sympathetic smile, asking her if there was anything he could get for her. She looked momentarily confused and glanced around before realization flooded her face. Remus frowned, wondering what had confused her, as she requested a soda and a menu.

The woman began perusing the menu, only to stop suddenly and look over at him. He felt his cheeks flush slightly as he tried to smile at her. In his intoxicated state, however, the werewolf feared he may have leered at her. Yep, must have been a leer because she narrowed her eyes and frowned at him. Remus quickly turned away from her and went back to his drink, humiliated.

Though he berated himself for his lapse in sanity, Remus could not help but look at her again, a few minutes later. She was very pretty, he decided. The wizard wondered why she looked so scared and so sad and why her eyes were red-rimmed. What had she been crying about? Her eyes… Uh-oh, she had caught him staring again…

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Victoria came down the stairs and hesitated for a moment before walking over to sit a few seats away from the man she had seen earlier. She could feel his eyes on her as she took her place at the bar.

"Can I get you something to drink, Kat?" Wesley asked her immediately.

Victoria hesitated, looking around to see who he was talking to. After a second, she realized that _she_ was Kat, and he was talking to her.

"Um, just a soda, please, and may I see a menu?" Kat asked hesitantly. She really wasn't hungry, but felt that she should at least attempt to eat something to keep up her strength.

Wesley put her soda down on a napkin and handed her a menu. "Just call for me when you are ready to order," he said with a kind smile.

"Thank you," she replied, returning the smile. She began to look over the items listed, trying to make herself hungry for something.

The feeling of being watched had not abated at all. She could not take it anymore and looked over at the other occupant of the bar. He leered drunkenly at her. Narrowing her eyes and frowning slightly, Kat found her original opinion of the stranger rapidly changing. The guy quickly turned away after seeing the expression on her face. Satisfied, Kat turned her attention back to the menu.

Suddenly, Anastasia's words of warning ran through her mind. _"Your sister was an Auror, and you are an Unspeakable. They may think that you know something about what happened to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."_

Could this man have looked as though he was in mourning because he _was_ grieving the loss of his master? Had there been a leak at the Ministry? Did the Death Eaters indeed want her and know that she was here? Was he one of them? How many of the Dark Lord's followers were in the bar now?

Panic pounded through her veins as she looked around the bar. There were not many people and most seemed to not even notice her presence. Maybe she was losing her mind; lack of sleep and grief could do that to a person. Kat began taking deep breaths, fighting the fear and panic that swelled inside her like a balloon. She knew that she was panicking for no reason because there were Aurors watching her and she was safe.

Kat forced her mind back to her choices for lunch; it was true her hands were shaking slightly, but she was calm again. A few seconds later, she felt someone watching her again. Turning, she looked at the man again. He was looking at her in a very curious and sad way.

"Can I help you with anything?" asked the witch irritably. "Do I have something on my face?"

"W-What? N-No, I-I'm sorry. You just looked very lonely and sad. I w-was wondering why," Remus said lamely, feeling like an idiot.

Kat watched the man flush guiltily. He was definitely drunk, but not a Death Eater. She had the impression that a Dark wizard would be smoother, sober, and would have approached her first.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have jumped down your throat, but all the staring was freaking me out," Kat said, her anger and fear dissipating quickly. "I've just been… stressed."

"I shouldn't have been staring; it was rude," Remus said regretfully, relieved that she didn't seem angry anymore. "Are you American?"

"Yes, born and raised," Kat said, smirking slightly.

Just then, Wesley came bustling over. "Have you decided what you would like?" he asked Kat, frowning at Remus.

Kat placed her order--steak, a baked potato with butter and sour cream, and steamed broccoli.

"May I get a cup of tea?" Remus asked Wesley when Kat was done.

"You want a cup of coffee if you're trying to sober up," Kat suggested.

"Alright, coffee then, please," Remus said with a thankful smile at Kat. "My name is Remus Lupin, by the way," he added, standing up a bit unsteadily and moving to the chair next to her. He offered her his hand in greeting.

Kat took the proffered, scarred, and calloused hand and introduced herself as Wesley put down a mug of coffee, cream, and sugar packets.

"I'm Katerina…" she began, only to stop, panicking slightly as she could not remember what the hell her last name was supposed to be. "Just call me Kat," she said, recovering quickly. He really didn't need to know her surname anyway, she decided. Besides, he was probably too drunk to realize she hadn't given it.

Remus was not too drunk to know that he should avoid telling her that, with his keen sense of hearing, he had overheard her earlier conversation with Wesley and her friend.

"Nice to meet you, Kat," Remus said with a smile. "So, what brings you to London? Are you on vacation?"

The lycanthrope watched the woman's face cloud with pain, and her eyes fill with tears. He could almost feel the emotional turmoil rolling around inside her.

"I wish I was here on vacation," Kat said, his face swimming in her vision due to her tears. She resolved to tell him part, but not all, of the truth. "My younger sister was transferred here by the company she worked for. Someone broke into her house to rob her, and she was killed." Her voice broke slightly with emotion as she impatiently brushed a tear from her cheek.

Remus' heart ached for the young woman. The werewolf knew all too intimately the pain associated with the loss of a loved one.

"I am sorry to hear that. There have been a rash of… burglaries recently. One of my best friends and his wife were killed when someone broke into their home," Remus told her sympathetically. The pain settled itself back in his chest as he thought of Lily, James, and poor little Harry. He could not tell the Muggle woman the whole story, but he could let her know he understood how she felt. He wondered if her sister had been killed by Death Eaters during one of their Muggle hunting trips. He hoped not.

"I am so sorry! That is just horrible!" Kat exclaimed. She briefly wondered if these murders were both committed by Death Eaters. She forced the thought away; she did not want to think about this now. "Let's talk about something more pleasant," she said with false brightness. "Um, what do you do for a living?"

Remus choked on the mouthful of coffee he had been about to swallow and began to cough hard.

"Are you alright?" Kat asked, alarmed.

"F-Fine," Remus sputtered, his mind working furiously, as he fought to regain his breath. He had no idea what to tell her. i I'm a werewolf, so I have a bit of trouble holding down a job/i was not something he thought he should tell her. He might as well add, i By the way, did I mention that I am also a wizard? That should really scare her senseless/i he thought miserably. Or she would think him mad. Neither idea was very appealing. Remus knew he was still too befuddled by liquor to consider how he would explain away a job. The lycanthrope needed time, and sobriety, to come up with something plausible.

Once Remus recovered, he said, "Actually, I do b not /b drink that often, and I'm not feeling well. I think I'm going to go take a nap."

"Okay, I hope you feel better," Kat said, disappointed. She had been enjoying his company in spite of, or perhaps because of, the fact that they were both lamenting the loss of loved ones. He understood the pain she was in. Then, an idea came to her. "Maybe, if you are feeling better later, we could meet for dinner?"

"If I am well, I would like that very much," Remus told her truthfully. "Until tonight, then," he added before retreating to his room to sleep off his inebriation.

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Remus woke up to inky darkness, fear and anger coursing through him. Images of Sirius laughing with Voldemort over the bodies of James and Lily were still fresh in his mind. Taking a few deep breaths, he recognized that it had only been a nightmare. Remembering his conversation with Dumbledore, Remus realized his nightmare did indeed still continue.

It took a few seconds for him to comprehend this and that he had a hangover—complete with headache and upset stomach. The memory of his meeting with the woman named Kat came rushing back to him. He let out a low groan. _What a way to meet someone! Drunk!_

He quickly went over what he could remember of their conversation, making sure that he hadn't slipped up about being a wizard or a werewolf. As far as he could recall, he had managed not to say anything incriminating.

Relief swept through him until he realized he had to come up with some kind of gainful Muggle employment. Remus sighed and sat up slowly, swinging his legs down to the floor. He closed his eyes as the pain in his head intensified for a few seconds before receding back to a dull pounding. Opening his eyes, the werewolf turned on the bedside lamp. The light burned his sensitive eyes and caused his headache to worsen again. A wave of nausea swept over him, and Remus fought to control both his stomach and the pain.

After taking a few deep breaths, the sick feelings subsided again, and Remus checked the time. It was a quarter to ten in the evening. He sighed, assuming that he must have missed Kat by hours.

Still, maybe he would feel better if he ate something, and the pub should still be open. The wizard stood and made his way to the bathroom for a shower.

At least this gave him some time to come up with a job. What could he tell her? He wracked his brain to come up with a nice, normal, non-magical occupation. He would also need a plausible reason why he had not been at said job today.

The lycanthrope had been a member of the Order of the Phoenix since graduating Hogwarts. He'd had a few jobs, but nothing wonderful, and nothing lasting more than a few months. His secret was a difficult one to keep, and once discovered, no one wanted to keep him as an employee.

The only post he had been able to maintain was working for the Order. Helping the Light to bring back security to the terrorized wizarding community had been his most important, most enduring, job.

"Wait a minute, security. Now that's an idea," Remus said.

Feeling a bit better about how he would handle any future conversations with Kat, he let his mind wander toward the other members of the Order. He pondered what they were doing now and if any of them had been told to lay low.

He couldn't help but feel a bit bitter and resentful. He did not want to be here, he wanted to be out helping to round up the rogue Death Eaters. He wanted to get his hands on Sirius and find out exactly why he had done this to his best friends.

Forcing his thoughts away from his traitorous friend, Remus wondered how long it would be before the funerals for the Potters and Wormtail. Surely, they would be buried with honor, with heroes' burials. He would have to find a way to owl Dumbledore to see if a day and time had been set yet. He was sure the headmaster would have told him if that had been decided, but still felt the need to ask.

Remus used the loo, then turned to the sink to wash his hands and face, and to brush his teeth. His head was really hurting him. Wistfully, he wished that he had enough wizarding money to buy a headache draught. After looking up in the mirror above the sink, Remus decided that he could do with a Pepper-Up Potion, too. He looked awful. Oh, well, he could only hope that he looked and felt better after his shower.

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Victoria sighed moodily. She was making a gallant effort to get some sleep, but to no avail. Her mind kept running through what had happened after her new acquaintance, Remus, had left.

Victoria had picked at her lunch, not eating very much. That was how it had been since Cassie's death. The mere thought of food turned her stomach, but she had made valiant efforts to force at least something down. She knew her sister would not stand her for making herself ill, and she could practically hear what Caitlin would have to say about the matter.

Just as she had been assuring Wesley that the food was fine, she just wasn't that hungry, Anastasia had come back. Sirius Black was insisting that he had not betrayed the Potters. He had already been sentenced to life in Azkaban by the Wizengamot.

"We will find out who killed her, Victoria, I promise," Anastasia had whispered to her reassuringly.

Victoria had just nodded to her. They went upstairs to Victoria's room so that they could talk privately.

"I need to go make funeral arrangements," Victoria said bluntly.

"Have you come up with a glamour?" the Auror countered.

"Yes, actually I have," she said, tapping herself on the top of the head with her wand. Her hair shortened to her shoulder blades and darkened to black, her eyes turned green, and her skin became slightly darker in color. "Well, what do you think?"

Anastasia looked her over critically for a second. "That will do just fine. Aurors will take you where you need to go. Come on."

"Wait, won't the bartender notice that the girl who came up here is not the same one who comes down? Not to mention everyone else?" Victoria asked incredulously.

"They won't even pay attention," Anastasia said with a dismissive way before casting a Disillusionment Charm on Victoria.

Victoria had been escorted by two Aurors who looked like Men In Black in their expensive black suits. She wondered with amusement if this was where Muggles got the idea.

Victoria had spent the better part of the day making funeral arrangements. She had never before realized just how much planning went into even a simple burial.

Turning over irritably, Victoria punched her pillow, trying to get comfortable. She must have missed Remus at dinner; he had been nowhere in sight when she had returned. Guilt spread through her as she realized how callous it was to not have left him a note. He probably thought she stood him up.

What in the world had possessed her to ask a drunken man to meet her for dinner anyway? Perhaps she really was going crazy, she mused.

No, that was not it. She knew it was his pain, so much like hers, that had drawn her to him. He may not have lost a family member, but he obviously cared a great deal about the friends who had been killed.

With a low groan, Victoria decided she was not going to be able to sleep any time soon. Getting up, she glanced at the clock. It was just about to turn ten in the evening. She wondered if she could get a hot chocolate this late as she changed out of her pajamas.


	3. Conversation

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters within the books, J.K. Rowling does. I own all characters you do not recognize. I am not making any money for writing this, just a bit of enjoyment.

**Beta**: Thanks to the wonderful Phoenix, JenKM1216, and Cherrypit8 for all their hard work!

**A/N**: This story has been nominated in round six of the Multifaceted Awards. If you would like to vote for this fic, here is the link: http/multifaceted. 3-Conversation

Victoria chose a seat at a small table off in a corner of the pub by herself. Most of the customers were now centered around the bar. In spite of herself, she looked to see if Remus was there. He wasn't.

Victoria sighed as disappointment filled her. She opened her copy of the i Evening Prophet/i which she had charmed to look like a regular Muggle newspaper to anyone else. After reading that there was no new information on any of the Death Eaters or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, she had trouble concentrating on the rest of the words in front of her.

Wesley arrived with her hot chocolate, and Victoria thanked him with a genuine smile. She stared down into her mug's contents for a while before taking a small sip. Victoria felt someone standing next to her and looked up, assuming it was Wesley.

"I'm still okay, but thank…" she trailed off. It wasn't Wesley; it was a rather nervous-looking Remus Lupin.

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Remus came down the stairs, fresh from his shower and feeling slightly better. As he neared the bottom of the staircase, he immediately spotted Kat. She was sitting by herself attempting to read the evening news. She didn't seem to be succeeding as her eyes weren't moving.

Nervousness rose in him as he slowly approached her table, watching Wesley give her something that smelled like hot chocolate. Remus paused a little way away from her, watching her ponder her drink as he searched for a good excuse for standing her up. Finally, deciding that honesty was the best policy, he made his way to her side as she took a small sip of the hot liquid.

He hesitantly opened his mouth to speak, but she seemed to sense his presence and looked up, saying, "I'm still okay, but thank…" before trailing off in surprise. She must not have been expecting him, but then, why would she? His fear of her anger grew a bit more.

"Would you mind if I have a seat?" Remus asked apprehensively.

"No. No, I don't mind. Please," she said with a small smile, gesturing to the chair across from her at the tiny table.

As soon as he was seated, Wesley came bustling over. "Can I get you anything, sir?"

"Hot tea and some toast, please," Remus requested, hoping to calm his stomach, which had started doing strange things when she smiled.

"No problem. Would the lady like anything else?" Wesley asked Victoria.

"Nope, I am still good, thanks," she said.

Once Wesley was out of earshot, they both said, "I'm sorry," at the same time before stopping and looking at each other in surprise.

"Ladies first," Remus said with an uncomfortable laugh.

"Okay, I'm so sorry that I missed dinner. I had to make funeral arrangements for my sister," Victoria said, her voice becoming thick with emotion as tears shone in her soft gray eyes. "I didn't think it would take so long."

"I am so sorry; I didn't realize," Remus replied, unconsciously reaching across the table to take her hand in a comforting, intimate gesture. When he realized what he had done, he made to withdraw his hand, but Kat squeezed it, and he decided not to move it after all. They looked at each other until Wesley returned with Remus' tea and toast, breaking the spell.

Remus pulled his hand back to accept his drink and food and thanked Wesley.

When Wesley left, Remus began to fix his tea, wondering what had just happened between them. To break the awkward silence, he said, "I missed dinner as well. I actually only woke up a short time ago. I don't usually drink, and I really did a number on myself."

"Did the drinking help dull the pain at all?" Victoria asked, willing to exchange her hot chocolate for something with a bit more of a kick if it did.

"No, it really didn't," Remus said with a sad smile, knowing what she was thinking by her hopeful tone of voice. "It only made things feel much worse."

"Then I guess I will stick with my hot chocolate," Victoria said with a heavy sigh.

"When is your sister's funeral going to be, Kat?" he asked gently.

Once again, her alias took her by surprise, but she recovered quickly, replying, "Three days. When are your friends' funerals going to be?"

"I honestly don't know yet. It happened so suddenly—just last night. The authorities are still trying to work it out," Remus said a bit hoarsely.

"So their bodies haven't even been released yet? That is just so horrible! I'm so sorry that it was so bad," Kat said, tears coming back with a vengeance as she fought to blink them back.

He knew that her tears were for his situation as much as for her own, and it softened his heart all the more. He decided to change the subject so as not to make her cry any more.

"Let's talk about something else… If that's okay with you," Remus said softly.

Kat nodded as she blew her nose on a napkin. "Yes, please, I don't know how I have any tears left to cry. I am going to end up in the hospital for dehydration soon," she said with a forced laugh. "What do you want to talk about?"

Just as she finished the question, Wesley came up to them apologetically and said, "I'm sorry, but it is closing time."

"But it is only eleven o'clock," Kat protested.

"That's the time the pubs here close, it's the law," Wesley replied before turning to tell the other customers that it was closing time.

"What time do they close in America?" Remus asked curiously.

"They stop serving at two o'clock in the morning, and then they close at two thirty," Kat replied, awed. "I guess I should go back to my room."

"Yeah, me too," Remus said, suddenly nervous again. "Would you like to come back to my room with me and continue our conversation? Or are you too tired?"

"I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep. We can talk and maybe watch a movie," Kat agreed.

They walked up the steps, Remus in the lead. He nonverbally lowered the wards as he made sure to move ahead of her, so he had the door opened by the time she reached him.

"Ladies first," he said again, gesturing her inside with a small bow and a wolfish grin.

"Why, thank you!" Kat said with a laugh. And they say chivalry is dead."

Once they were seated at the small table and chairs, each with a soda, Kat asked again, "What would you like to talk about?"

Her eyes avoided the bed as her stomach did flip-flops. She really liked this guy, and it made her feel supremely guilty. She wanted to sleep with him, and her sister was sleeping at the morgue; what the hell was wrong with her?

"We can talk about each other," Remus suggested, smelling her arousal. It matched his own. These were dangerous waters as they were both in need of comfort, and he couldn't disclose much truth about himself. He didn't care at the moment how dangerous this could turn out. He was quick thinking when sober; he could come up with answers, and he really liked this woman. Perhaps it was her current, seemingly, vulnerable state that drew him to her.

Mentally shaking himself, Remus asked the first question that came to his mind. "Do you have any other sisters or brothers?"

Remus cringed visibly as soon as the words were out of his mouth. _How could I be so stupid?_

Kat smiled in amusement as he cringed at his own question, obviously thinking he would upset her again. It was really very cute.

"No, there was just Cassie and me, though my friend Caitlin was the daughter of my mother's best friend, so we grew up like sisters."

"Why didn't she come with you then?" Remus asked, surprised.

"She was badly hurt a few months ago and is still recovering. I don't really want to talk about that either," Kat said flatly, thinking she would need to Floo to visit Caitlin tomorrow. Out loud, she asked, "What about you? Any siblings?"

"Afraid not. I was an only child," Remus said regretfully. His parents had been apprehensive about having more children once he had been infected. They were terrified that he might accidentally contaminate another child during the full moon.

"What part of America are you from?" he asked, steering the conversation back to something a bit less precarious.

"New England, actually. Boston, Massachusetts, to be exact. I can't wait to get home," she said wistfully.

"You miss your friends? Especially Caitlin?" Remus asked rhetorically.

"That and my job, it is really fascinating," Kat said excitedly before freezing. She was in it now. There was no way she could tell him she was an Unspeakable; even if he was a wizard, she still couldn't divulge what she did. But he was a Muggle, and there would be questions she couldn't answer without having to _Obliviate_ him, and she didn't want to do that.

"Really? What do you do?" Remus asked curiously.

"Research," she blurted out, thinking fast. Just tell part of the truth—the part that couldn't hurt anything. "Top secret research for my government; I really can't get into it."

Mentally patting herself on the back, Kat asked, "What do you do for a living?"

"Nothing as glamorous as you," Remus said teasingly. "I am in security. I'm on a leave of absence since… well, since what happened."

Kat took a large drink from her soda, not wanting to think about any of that pain. "Want to watch a movie?" she asked, standing up.

_We will have to sit on the bed in order to properly see the movie_, Kat thought anxiously as a thrill of trepidation and desire ran through her. She wasn't sure if she was really attracted to him or if she just wanted some comfort. But, either way, he didn't really know her, and so she couldn't sleep with him. They were both adults, and they would just have to act like it.

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Remus stood up behind her and, catching a stronger whiff of arousal, fought to control his own lust as his body responded to hers. It was six days before the full moon, and he was having a hard time controlling his more animalistic instincts.

As Kat finished looking around, he watched her turn back toward him with an uncertain smile. The smile slowly faded from her face, and he knew she could see his reaction to her written all over his face.

Her breathing deepened, her full breasts rising and falling rapidly, as her eyes darkened. The scent of arousal spike sharply, and he couldn't stop himself from gently pulling her into his arms. He brought his lips to hers, kissing her softly, and waiting to see if she responded to his advances. She did, parting her lips to meet his tongue with her own. She slid her hands up his chest to wrap her arms around the back of his neck.

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Kat turned hesitantly back to face Remus only to see him looking hungrily down at her as though he wanted to devour her. He was only inches from her, and she felt short of breath as her pulse quickened.

Liquid heat raced through her veins as Remus reached out and pulled her to him. She knew she should stop him, but she didn't want to. She wanted and needed him, needed this.

He kissed her gently, moving his lips sensuously over hers. She responded in kind, opening her mouth and meeting his invading tongue with her own as she slid her hands up his chest to wrap her arms around his neck, pulling him closer.

After a few moments, Remus pulled back from her, breathing raggedly, and cupped her face in one hand, rubbing his thumb across her swollen lips.

"Kat?" he breathed questioningly, asking her permission to go further.

It was as if he had dumped ice-cold water over her. She wasn't Kat; she was a witch, an Unspeakable, and not here on vacation. She was here because her sister had been murdered, and Remus had no idea who she really was.

"I-I-I can't. I-I have to go," she stuttered, pulling away from him and backing toward the door with tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry for this, for everything."

"Kat, don't go. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…" Remus began earnestly, feeling horrible.

"Yes, you should have, I wanted you to," she whispered, grabbing her purse and newspaper. "But, you don't know me, and I can't do this. We can talk about it tomorrow. I think we both need to cool down first. I am so sorry," she said again as she yanked open the door and left, crying.

Stunned, Remus looked at the door for a moment, wondering what the hell had just happened. He was startled out of his confusion when he heard a tapping at his window. A brown owl sat outside on the windowsill.

Remus moved to open it, glad that Kat wasn't there so that he didn't have to explain getting a message from an owl. The bird flew in and landed on the back of the chair he had been sitting in. Walking over, the werewolf took the letter from its leg.

"Thank you," he called out as the owl took off and flew back out the window. Remus opened the letter. It was from Dumbledore. The Potters' funeral would be held the day after next; Peter's funeral would be two days after that.

Remus sighed and sank down into the chair, feeling more alone than ever. He was fairly certain that he could have come up with a plausible excuse for the owl if Kat had stayed. What had gone wrong?

He wished she had talked to him about what had bothered her; he really needed someone to talk to right now. Surely she needed someone as well? She was as alone here as he was, perhaps more so. When was her sister's funeral? Remus mentally went through their conversation. It was three days from now, in between the Potters' and Peter's funerals. If she would indeed talk to him tomorrow, he would offer to accompany her there.

She had said that he didn't really know her, but she didn't know him either, not the real him, Remus mused guiltily. Would she have still allowed him to kiss her if she knew he was a wizard, a werewolf, and penniless? Highly doubtful. Remus felt worse than ever. He got up and readiedgot ready for bed, wondering if Kat was hiding any secrets or if she had just been referring to the fact that they had only just met.

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